{"id":413201,"date":"2023-10-30T11:00:13","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T16:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/?p=413201"},"modified":"2024-10-16T17:14:02","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T22:14:02","slug":"hornadys-22-arc-cartridge-a-22-250-killer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/hornadys-22-arc-cartridge-a-22-250-killer\/","title":{"rendered":"Hornady’s .22 ARC Cartridge: A .22-250 Killer?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hornady has just rolled out a new cartridge they\u2019re calling \u201cthe most versatile and high-performance .22 cal option that you can put in an AR-15 and a bolt gun.\u201d That cartridge is the .22 ARC (Advanced Rifle Cartridge). The .22 ARC features new aerodynamic bullets in a necked-down, high-volume 6.5 Grendel parent case for maximum performance. Wildcatters have been shooting similar cartridges for a while, but the .22 ARC is the first actual SAAMI-spec cartridge.<\/p>\n

\"Hornady
The .22 ARC cartridge was specifically designed for the AR-15. (hornady.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hornady designed the .22 ARC\u2019s chamber concurrently with the cartridge to control and facilitate proper performance across all compatible rifles and platforms. Hornady says the .22 ARC is an \u201cunlimited\u201d design compatible with a wide spectrum of bullets and powders, like the 6.5 Creedmoor, describing it as \u201cvery forgiving\u201d thanks to its high velocity and flat trajectory.<\/p>\n

The new long-boattailed, high ballistic coefficient bullets won\u2019t work without the proper chamber geometry and 1:7 SAAMI twist rate. Hornady attributes the new bullets to improved technology, noting that they cannot be used in legacy cartridges, since they won\u2019t fit in those cases, chambers, or magazines, and the legacy twist rates may not be fast enough to stabilize them.<\/p>\n

The cartridge\u2019s overall SAAMI length is 2.260 inches, making it a perfect fit for AR-15 rifles. Hornady did that purposely since the .22 ARC was specifically designed for the AR-15, though it also runs great in bolt-action rifles. Hornady wanted to make it easy for gun manufacturers to add .22 ARC by keeping the magazine dimensions the same as they are for .223 Remington, 6.5 Grendel, and 6mm ARC rifles.<\/p>\n

.22 ARC vs. .22-250 Remington<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The .22 ARC was designed to bring .22-250 performance to the AR-15 platform. So, how do the two cartridges measure up? Hornady Marketing Communications Manager Seth Swerczek calls the .22-250 \u201cthe venerable predator cartridge of the last century.\u201d Thousands of hunters would likely agree. So, what does the .22 ARC have on the older, proven cartridge?<\/p>\n

\"Hornady
A bold claim, but here’s hoping. (hornady.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hornady Chief Ballistician Jayden Quinlan says the .22-250 \u201cis really limited by the design of the era when it came out. There were no sleek, long, .22 cal bullets back then, so the compensation method (to make it flat shooting) was just raw velocity.\u201d The new bullets allow the .22 ARC to match \u2014 and even exceed \u2014 the .22-250\u2019s velocity and energy performance.<\/p>\n

That performance is achieved using a smaller cartridge designed for AR-15 and bolt-action rifles. Swerczek offers an \u201capples to apples\u201d comparison using the Hornady .22-250 Varmint Express load with a 55-grain V-Max bullet and the Hornady .22 ARC V-Match round using a 62-grain ELD-VT bullet. The .22-250 round leaves the muzzle at a screaming 3,680 feet per second. The .22 ARC is a bit slower with a muzzle velocity of 3,300 fps. But by the 250-yard mark, the .22 ARC retains more velocity, despite its slower start. The two bullets\u2019 trajectories are within one inch of one another at 500 yards, but the .22 ARC will have a higher velocity and more energy, with \u201csubstantially more wind deflection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The .22 ARC is also easier on rifle barrels since it uses 25% to 30% less powder per shot with lower pressures. AR-15 conversions can be achieved with a new bolt, barrel, and magazine. At least one company that I\u2019ve seen is already taking pre-orders for those components and may offer complete rifles soon.<\/p>\n

\"Hornady
Hornady offers .22 ARC is three different loads for now. (hornady.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

.22 ARC versus .223 Remington<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Since the .22 ARC cartridge was specifically designed for the AR-15, Swerczek and Quinlan also discuss how the new round stacks up with the .223 Remington cartridge, acknowledging that the .223 is a \u201cgo-to varmint round.\u201d But, they say, \u201cthe .22 ARC will do everything the .223 can do, plus way more.\u201d The .223 is great, but it\u2019s limited by its legacy design. The projectiles are limited in terms of aerodynamics and bullet weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cEssentially,\u201d says Quinlan, you\u2019re \u201cstepping out of the .223 world and into the .22-250 world out of an AR-15. Using that same platform, you can now leap forward to much higher levels of performance\u201d than with the .223. \u201cThe .22-250 is world-renowned for its ability to be flat-shooting and wind insensitive out to those couple hundred yards.\u201d But even then, \u201cthe bullets that it uses are just like that .223, 40 to 60-grain class bullets, typically, and they just don\u2019t have the aerodynamics that the .22 ARC does, so it just leaves them behind.\u201d The .22 ARC matches the .223\u2019s varmint-hunting prowess at short and medium ranges but provides superior wind deflection, velocity, and energy at extended ranges. \u201cA legacy .223,\u201d says Quinlan, \u201cjust cannot be adapted to keep up\u201d with the .22 ARC.<\/p>\n

.22 ARC and Hunting<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Speaking of hunting prowess, both Swerczek and Quinlan believe the .22 ARC will be the \u201cvarmint king,\u201d thanks to its superior performance at longer ranges. But Hornady will also offer loads suitable for whitetail deer and antelope, depending on individual state laws. The .22 ARC is especially well-suited for night hunting, which they say is a major reason the cartridge exists to begin with. The high velocity and flat trajectory can help mitigate difficult ranging at night.<\/p>\n

\"Hunting
The .22 ARC was developed with night hunting in mind. (hornady.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bolt-Action Rifles<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As noted, the .22 ARC was specifically designed to \u201cfit, feed, and function from an AR-15.\u201d But many people, like hunters and competition shooters, prefer bolt-action rifles and the new cartridge works great with those guns. The primary benefit to bolt gun use, however, will be to hand loaders.<\/p>\n

Bolt-action rifles can handle higher pressures than gas guns, meaning that hand loaders will easily be able to gain an additional 75 to 100 fps from their .22 ARC loads. All Hornady factory ammo will be tailored to gas guns, at least for the foreseeable future. Even that\u2019s impressive, with muzzle velocities ranging from 2,800 to 3,300 fps, depending on ammo choice. However, the company will provide loading data for those wishing to get even better performance from the round.<\/p>\n

Factory .22 ARC is available in Hornady\u2019s V-Match line with a 62-grain ELD-VT (Extremely Low Drag-Varmint Target) bullet; the Match line with an 88-grain ELD match bullet; and the Hornady Black line with a 75-grain ELD Match bullet.<\/p>\n

\"Firing
Hand loaders will get even faster loads for bolt action rifles. (hornady.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

.22-250 Killer?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It remains to be seen whether the .22 ARC will significantly impact the varmint-hunting world. After all, the .22-250 is a beloved cartridge with a big head start. But technology advances for a reason, and we expect better products as we move forward. Hornady is obviously putting a lot into the .22 ARC. If it\u2019s as good as they say, we may have another great option for hunting and target shooting.<\/p>\n

Only time will tell, and we will see. Many rounds claim to be the next greatest thing, but few actually catch on and deliver. What do you think? Will the .22 ARC become a mainstay, or will it only be a flash in the pan, only used by a niche group? Let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hornady has just rolled out a new cartridge they\u2019re calling \u201cthe most versatile and high-performance .22 cal option that you can put in an AR-15 and a bolt gun.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":413203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2608],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-413201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ammo-reviews"],"small_media_thumbnail":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/22-arc-feature-300x225.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413201"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":413456,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413201\/revisions\/413456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}